Shoulder rest or support for violins



(No Model.)

H. 0. PEABODY. SHOULDER REST 0R SUPPORT FOR VIOLINS.

Patented Aug. 25, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

HENRY O. PEABODY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOULDER REST OR SUPPORT FOR VIOLINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,696, dated August 25, 1896.

7 Application filed September 12, 1895. Serial No- 562,2 '76. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY O. PEABODY, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder Rests or Supports for Violins, of which the followin g, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to shoulder rests or supports for violins, is an improvement upon the invention described in the Letters Patent No. 544,003, granted to me August 6, 1895, and it consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which Will be readily understood by reference to the description of the accompanying drawings and to the claim hereto appended and in which my invention is clearly pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a partial end elevation of a violin with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a section on line was on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the clamp-bar. Fig. at is a transverse section of the same on line y 3 on Fig. 3 and showing the shoulder rest or support in elevation. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the clamping-bar and shoulder rest or support and illustrating a modification of the manner of securing the rest to the bar. Fig. 6 is an inverted plan of the clamping-bar in Fig. 5with the rest removed. Fig. 7 is a partial section on line '0 a: on Fig. 5. Fig. Sis a transverse sectional elevation of another modification of the manner of securing the rest to the clamping-bar. Fig. 9 represents an elevation of another modified form of the clamping-bar and shoulder-rest, and Fig. 10 is an elevation of the same viewed from a direction at right angles to Fig. 9.

In the drawings, A represents a portion of the body of a violin.

Bis the chin-rest; G, the clamp-bar connected to the chin-rest by means of the right and left hand screw-rods a a and b b and the turnbuckle-sleeves c c.

E is the tailpiece, and F the knob, to which it is secured by the cord f, all of which is constructed and arranged substantially as in my before-cited patent.

In the Letters Patent before cited is shown, described, and claimed a shoulder-rest in the form of a knob, having a convex outer face intended to rest upon the clothing in front of the collar-bone and having said convex outer face serrated or roughened to prevent its slipping upon the clothing,

I have found by practical experiment that the violin can be held very much firmer between the chin and shoulder of the operator if said shoulder-rest is made of such a shape and length as to extend to and press upon the clothing covering the soft flesh of the shoulder above and to the rear of the collar-bone, so that when the pressure of the chin is applied to the chin-rest the end of the shoulder-rest will be pressed into the flesh at the rear of the collar-bone, and thus practically hook the violin to the rear of the upper edge of the collar-bone, near the neck. To effect this desirable result, I make the shoulder-rest D of a length somewhat greater than the thickness of the violin atits edge and tapered toward its outer end, which is rounded, as shown. This shoulder rest or support for the violin may be made circular in transverse section, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4c, and 5, or oval, as represented in Figs. -9 and 10, may or not be covered with cloth, felt, rubber, or other soft or yielding material, and may be attached to the clamping-bar O, as shown and described in said prior patent, or in either of the ways shown in the drawings.

I11 Figs. 5, 6, and 7 is illustrated one mode of attaching the stud D to the clamp-bar O, in Which the bar O has secured to its inner edge a spring-hook g, and one end of said bar is reduced in thickness upon its upper side, as shown in Fig. 5. A rectangular metal clip or sleeve h, adapted to be slipped upon the end of said bar over the hook of said spring, is provided with a screw shank which is screwed into the inner or larger end of the stud D, as shown in Fig. '7.

In Fig. 8 is illustrated another modification of the attachment of the stud D to the clampbar, in which the clip or sleeve h is provided with a hub h, having a threaded hole, into which is screwed the screw-shank t' of the stud D, which shank serves as a set-screw to clamp said clip to the bar in the desired position.

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate another modifica- ICO tion of the application of the shoulder-rest to the clamp-bar, in which the rest is pivoted to the bar by the screw 75, which is screwed into a metal stand I, screwed to the outer edge of the clamp-bar, with a washer m, of rawhide, between it and said rest, so that when the screw h is screwed into said stand to its shoulder it will create sufficient friction between said rest to hold it in place and still permit said rest to be moved into the position indicated in dotted lines when it is desired to place the violin in its case. A pin 91, set in the plate or stand Z, prevents said rest being moved toward the left of Fig. 1 beyond the position shown.

As the violin when in use is inclined toward the right of Fig. 1, the pressure of the chin upon the chin-rest tends to press the movable end of the shoulder-rest toward the pin it and at the same time presses the end of said rest upon the flesh at the rear of the upper edge of the collar-bone, so as to form a recess or cavity, so that the collar-bone will hold it from slipping out of place.

XVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The combination of the clamping-bar 0 having its upper surface at one end cutaway as shown; the metal clip or sleeve 7L fitted to said reduced end of said clamping-bar and provided with the internally-threaded hub 7L and stud D provided with the threaded shank t' fitted to said threaded hub and acting as a set-screw to clamp said clip to said bar.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 9th day of September, A. D. 1895.

HENRY O. PEABODY.

Witnesses:

N. O. LoMiBARn, WALTER E. LoninAnn. 

